Goals and Dreams

Goals Important to the Robison Family

Respect, love, and enjoy one another, in and outside family
- Serve one another
- Everyone has their own space and respects each others space
- Participate in activities together (camp, sports, boating, horses, skiing, snowmen building, etc.)
- Take time individually for each person (pair’s time)
- Look for the positives in others
Appreciate each others likeness and differences
Enjoy Sports together
- Play sports games together
- Attend sporting events
- Be involved in sporting events
- Support each other in sporting events
Enjoy Music together
- Sing in Family Home Evening
- Sing in church
- Play an instrument
- Enjoy musical events
Work hard together
Play together
Earn rank of Eagle Scout , Duty to God Award, and Young Womanhood Award
Learn to love education and reading
- Enjoy educational activities together (zoo, museums, walks, etc.)
- Read together and individually
Build up one another and support one another’s dreams
Graduate from College
Serve Honorable Missions
Each PERSON works to gain a strong testimony
- Pray as a family and individually
- Read scriptures as a family and individually
- Exercise faith in areas where you struggle (test it out)
- Follow the spirit
Build a relationship with the Lord
- All the above and serve your fellow man

One day on the way to Meadow since Kent had no where to run and ignore me I made him talk with me about the things that were important to him. As you can see sports are part of that goal. Not because I want my kids to be the best in athletics, but because I want my kids to find fun ways to be active and healthy. My family wasn't huge into sports. A lot of my siblings liked basketball because they were tall, but other than that it wasn't a focal point (never making it to that "high" status I don't care all that much about the sport). Because my parents thought it was wrong to make your kids play sports they didn't make us do any sports. I agree with them that you shouldn't force it, but I do want my kids to try out many sports because I really think it could have benefited me to have known that I could run in high school. Maybe I would have just whined, but I wish in ways that it had been expected that I do physically challenging things as a teenager. I do think sports are important and they teach great lessons but kids should not grow up thinking that sports are life. Not every kid is going to play professional ball, but maybe if that is their dream it will take them to a new dream that will make them happy. I think that kids need to be supported and directed in following their dreams. If that dream is for Braxton to be a dancer then so be it. If it is for a daughter to be a wrestler than great. Whatever they determine their goals to be is what I want them to pursue.

I remember coming home after a youth conference thinking I wanted to be a great speaker and speak to the youth when I grew up. I expressed that desire to my mom and she told me that usually to be asked to speak you have to do something great first. It kills me that instead of seeing that interest and helping me take a path that would have had plenty of fuel for ambition she just dismissed it as unattainable. Kent once told me that his dream was to go to school and get an education. He went one semester despite his mom telling him that Utah State was too big a school for him. He worked full time to pay for it and took on a ton of credit hours. No wonder he failed no one set him up with the keys for success. They told him he would fail from the start.

I think that too many parents are afraid that if their kids pursue a dream and they don't succeed the failure will be too heartbreaking. Luckily for my parents they seemed to finally figure it out with my younger brother. He went to college and played basketball. After a few years on the team he has realized that his dream is actually not what he wanted. Of course what has he gained from pursuing his dream? A wonderful wife, a knowledge that his dream didn't fit him, and a new dream to pursue. He is not devastated that he won't be making millions. He is happy that he got to figure it out on his own.

Whatever my kids dreams are I want to fuel their passions and support their efforts. I want to be their biggest cheerleader. I want to be just as ridiculous about taking risks for them as they are for themselves. Why? Because I know that the Lord gives us dreams to get us where he wants us to go. It's following your dream path that will take you to a life that you will be happy to have lived. I never want to take that away from any of my kids. I want them to shoot for the stars because even if they don't hit them they have a better chance to make their dreams out of this world.

This is what I will say in conclusion. Not only do I intend to cheer for my kids in their dreams, but I believe that is what family is for. If nephew decided to be the valedictorian at his high school I would be happy to ask him how his studies are coming every time I see him. My sister's daughter wants to be an author when she grows up. I LOVE to read her stories. She's already getting awards on a school district level. I am so happy to support her in her dream of becoming an author. My personal opinion is that if you show children you care and give them a GREAT support system of love and acceptance then they will achieve great things. It's not a matter of if they do it is a matter of when and what will they do.